Page 91 of Payback
“Is it truly such a big secret?”
“They value their privacy immensely,” he corrected. “And I have pledged an oath.”
“Why not kill you? That way, you would carry the secret to your grave.”
Again, he shook his head. “They cannot kill me.”
“Why not?” I questioned.
He began laughing in a peculiar, melancholic manner—laughter tinged with the knowledge of inexorable defeat. I continued to observe him, baffled by his behavior, yearning for more answers, an insatiable desire gnawing at me. What was happening?
“Are you familiar with the phrase ‘blood is thicker than water’?” he asked.
“Unfortunately,” I sighed.
“That’s why,” he murmured.
For a moment, his response bewildered me until I grasped its meaning.
“Your family?”
“Unfortunately for them,” he chuckled ruefully.
“Who is your family?”
“People you would be wise to remain ignorant of,” he cautioned. “You don’t want them as your enemies.”
“Who are they?”
“I can’t...”
“Yes, you can. You just stated they cannot kill you,” I reminded him.
“But they will if I reveal their identity. I have vowed not to, and given my blood connection, they have permitted me to survive. However, saying their names aloud would guarantee my demise,” he divulged.
“But I am here to kill you as well,” I countered.
“I am aware... which is why I prefer to meet my end at your hands rather than theirs.”
“Wouldn’t a friend be preferable?”
“No, my family prefers a slow demise,” he whispered.
“Isn’t this already slow?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Oh man, compared to them, you’re a novice.”
His words only fueled my desire for further interrogation, despite knowing the dangers of asking.
“Tell me, Pete. Let’s strike a bargain. No one has to learn that you disclosed their identity.”
“I can’t. I have sworn not to speak of them,” he promised.
I reclined in my chair, interlacing my fingers before me, ruminating on the situation. He was forbidden from speaking about them... An idea formed within my mind.
“What if you didn’t verbalize it?” I suggested.
His expression contorted in bewilderment.
